Your wedding time is set. Guest are arriving. What songs do you want to play as guests take their seats? These are known as the wedding ceremony prelude songs.

Every couple is different. You can select songs by music styles like R&B, Pop, and Country. You can have traditional classical music to instrumental modern cover songs.

It’s up to you!

Here is a list of popular songs selected for the wedding prelude.

Instrumental Wedding Prelude Songs

Traditional Classical Instrumentals

A Rose Is Gently Blooming – Meral Guneyman
Air on G (Arr. for Violin and Acoustic Guitar by Arthur Campbell) – Anne Akiko Meyers, Jason Vieaux
Air on the G String – HAUSER
Arioso (Adagio in G) from Cantata BWV 156 (Arr. by Lloyd Webber) – J.S. Bach
Ave Maria, D.839 – Arr. Hazell – Sheku Kanneh-Mason
Bagatelle in A Minor, WoO 59, “Fur Elise” – Ludwig van Beethoven
Canon In D (Guitar) – The O’Neill Brothers Group
Pachelbel’s Canon in D – Danny Wright
Canon In F – The O’Neill Brothers Group
Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prélude – João Kouyoumdjian
Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prélude – Yo-Yo Ma
Clair de Lune, L. 32 – Martin Jones
Etude No. 2 – Philip Glass
Für Elise, WoO 59 – Nelly Kokinos
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty (Wedding Hymn) – Robbins Island Music Group
Prelude in C Major – Brian Bradley
Rockelbel’s Canon (Pachelbel’s Canon in D) – The Piano Guys
Romance for String Orchestra, Op. 11 – Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Romantic Pieces, Op. 75, B. 150 – 1. Allegro moderato – Akiko Suwanai
Salut d’Amour, Op. 12 – Yo-Yo Ma
Sarabande, BWV 1007 – Andrei Krylov & Lana Ross
Sheep May Safely Graze – Leon Fleisher
Sleepers Awake, Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimme, BWV 140 – Andrei Krylov & Lana Ross
Suite bergamasque, L. 75 – III. Clair de lune – Lang Lang, Claude Debussy
The Four Seasons, Violin Concerto in E Major, Op. 8 No. 1, RV 269 “Spring”: I. Allegro – Itzhak Perlman
The Occasional Oratorio, HWV62 – George Frideric Handel
Trumpet Tune in C Major, Z. 697 – The Prague Brass Soloists
Trumpet Voluntary in D Major “The Prince of Denmark’s March” – The Clerkenwell Baroque String
Water Music Suite, HWV 348-350 – Hornpipe – Wolfgang Meyer, Berlin Philharmonic, Rafael Kubelik

Modern Instrumentals (No Vocals)

Beautiful Thing – Old Foes
Gymnopédie No. 3 – Erik Satie
Kingdom Hearts – Dearly Beloved – Vitamin String Quartet
Pachelbel Meets U2 – Jon Schmidt
Paris Nocturne – Dan Fogelberg
Reflections – Toshifumi Hinata
Sally’s Songs – Vitamin String Quartet
The Giving – Michael W. Smith
Turning Page (Instrumental) – Sleeping At Last

Modern Instrumental Covers

A Thousand Years – The Piano Guys
A Thousand Years (Instrumental Violin & Piano Cover) – VioDance
Bittersweet Symphony – Vitamin String Quartet
Can’t Help Falling in Love (Adapted for Violin and Acoustic Guitar) – Anne Akiko Meyers, Jason Vieaux
Can’t Help Falling in Love (Violin Instrumental) – Alan Ng
Come as You Are – The Hipster Orchestra
First Day of My Life – Brooklyn Duo
Ghost – The Piano Guys
God Bless the Broken Road (Acoustic Guitar) – The O’Neill Brothers Group
Here Comes the Sun – Benny Martin
I Can Only Imagine – The O’Neill Brothers Group
In My Life – Kevin Kern
Just Give Me A Reason (Piano Version) – Flying Fingers
Kiss From A Rose – Vitamin String Quartet
Latch – Simply Three
Love Me Like You Do – Brooklyn Duo
Love Story meets Love Story (Taylor Swift Remix) – Jon Schmidt
Lover – Paul Hankinson Covers
Marry You (Instrumental Version) – The O’Neill Brothers Group
My Gift is My Song – HAUSER
Perfect – Brooklyn Duo
Perfect (Violin & Piano Wedding Version) – Paul Hankinson Covers
Say You Won’t Let Go – Daniel Jang
Somewhere Only We Know – Simply Three
Stand By Me – Fred Turnquist
Sunflower – Vitamin String Quartet ft. ThatViolaKid
This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Dr. Cover Band
Wildest Dreams – Dallas String Quartet
Yellow (Piano Version) – Henry Smith
Your Song – Michael Marc

Instrumentals from Games, Plays, TV & Film

A Million Dreams (Piano Version) – Emilie’s Piano
A Whole New World – Disney Ukulele & Disney
A Whole New World (Aladdin’s Theme) – Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle
All I Ask Of You (The Phantom of the Opera) – Andrew Lloyd Webber
Ashitaka and San (Princess Mononoke) – CelloKat
Beauty and the Beast – Disney Ukulele & Disney
Concerning Hobbits – Howard Shore
Evergreen (Love Theme from, “A Star Is Born”) – Barbra Streisand
Fairy Tail Theme – Taylor Davis, Lara De Wit
Game of Thrones (Main Theme) – Vitamin String Quartet
Hold My Hand (Piano Arrangement) – Alexandre Pachabezian
Legends Of The Fall Theme – James Horner
Married Life from Up (Violin & Piano) – Paul Hankinson Covers
Reveries – Ramin Djawadi
Rewrite The Stars (Piano Version) – Emilie’s Piano
Seasons Of Love (RENT) – Stan Whitmire
The Princess Bride – Storybook Love – Vitamin String Quartet

New Age Tracks

A Day Without Rain – Enya
Angel Eyes – Jim Brickman
Angelic Voices – B-Tribe
Fairytale – Enya
Love Story – Luc Serra
May It Be – Enya
Only Time – Enya
Variations on the Kanon – George Winston

Popular Celtic Tunes

Hand In Hand – David Arkenstone
Nocturne – Secret Garden

For brides, see a list of acoustic songs to play as a bride walks down the aisle.

Vocal Hits

Country

Beautiful Crazy – Luke Combs
God Bless the Broken Road – Rascal Flatts
Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
Love Story – Taylor Swift
Millionaire – Chris Stapleton
Speechless – Dan + Shay
The Gift – Jim Brickman, Collin Raye, Susan Ashton
Yours (Wedding Version) – Russell Dickerson

Folk

Anywhere – Risk & Refuge
Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
Heartbeats – José González
Hold You In My Arms – Ray LaMontagne
Songbird – Eva Cassidy
True Companion – Marc Cohn
Wedding Song (There Is Love) – Noel Paul Stookey

Alternative & Rock

Harvest Moon – Neil Young
Holocene – Bon Iver
June Hymn – The Decemberists
Slow And Steady – Of Monsters And Men
Someone Like You – Van Morrison
Such Great Heights – Iron And Wine
Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap

Pop Prelude Songs

Can’t Help Falling In Love (Acoustic) – Amber Leigh Irish
Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Acoustic) – Paul Canning
Feels Like Home – Chantal Kreviazuk
Hallelujah – Pentatonix
How Long Will I Love You – Ellie Goulding
I Choose You – Sara Bareilles
I Don’t Know What Love Is – Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper
Marry Me – Train
Over The Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
Songbird – Rita Wilson & Josh Groban
Tenerife Sea – Ed Sheeran
The Way I Am – Ingrid Michaelson
Wedding In Berlin – Pet Shop Boys
Wedding Medley (Marry Me, A Thousand Years, All of Me, Bless The Broken Road) – Anthem Lights

R&B

All Of Me – John Legend
Always and Forever – Heatwave
Angels – Robin Thicke
Best Part – H.E.R., Daniel Caesar
My Boo (Acoustic) – Will Gittens, Rahky
Halo – Beyoncé
One In A Million – Larry Graham
Ribbon In The Sky – Stevie Wonder
Truly – Lionel Richie
Why I Love You – MAJOR.
You and I – Stevie Wonder

Vocal

La Califfa – Sarah Brightman
Nella Fantasia – Sarah Brightman
To Make You Feel My Love – The Hollywood Symphony Orchestra and Voices

Christian

I Will Be Here – Steven Curtis Chapman

Spotify Prelude Playlist

Most couples select their prelude songs depending on how the music will be played. Will you have a string quartet, bagpipes, harpist, DJ, or other? This will help determine what style of music.

Typically, couples will select instrumental songs but it is up to you. However, be sure to know the rules of the ceremony venue. If it is a church, there may be strict rules on the music played.

Prelude Songs: Set the Perfect Tone for Your Wedding Ceremony